School Lunch Fairy program pays off $1,000 in school lunch balances in Martin County

December 13, 2018 at 10:44 AM EST - Updated December 13 at 10:44 AM

MARTIN COUNTY, FLA. — The spirit of generosity is alive and well in Martin County.

The School Lunch Fairy program is donating $1,000 to the Martin County School District to pay down the balance of students' unpaid lunches.

The non-profit, founded by two students in Wellington last year, has raised nearly $55,000 to pay for more than 27,000 student meals across the country.

"We want every student to be successful," said Laura Holmedal, the Director of Food and Nutrition Services for the Martin County School District. "They can't be successful if they don't have a good meal."

According to the School District:

It serves about 15,000 meals a day between breakfast, lunch, and an after school snack.

About 50 percent of students qualify for free and reduced meals.

Parents owe about $1,900 in unpaid student meal debt.

"We always feed every child no matter what," said Holmedal. "But it can be a burden to the School District."

Holmedal added that children who eat meals at school are able to focus on their academic lessons rather than on being hungry.

"You want to see people succeed, you want to see people have the best chance to succeed," said Christian Cordon-Cano, co-founder of School Lunch Fairy. "It would be great to get the whole county behind us, because it's a nationwide issue."

The School District said it never turns students away from receiving meals due to their inability to pay, but the cost to cover meals that are not eligible for reimbursement by the National School Lunch Program adds up quickly.

To donate to the school lunch program in the Martin County School District, call 772-223-2655 ext. 101, or click here .